India, Oct. 19 -- Out of Bihar's 243 assembly constituencies, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has fielded just five Muslim candidates this election a stark underrepresentation for a community that makes up nearly 17% of the state's population and roughly 1.9 crore of its 7.2 crore voters.

Janata Dal (United), led by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, has nominated four Muslim candidates. Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), headed by Union Minister Chirag Paswan, has given a single ticket to a Muslim nominee. The BJP, HAM (Jitan Ram Manjhi), and Rashtriya Lok Morcha (Upendra Kushwaha) have fielded none.

In contrast, during the 2020 assembly polls, JD(U) alone had fielded 11 Muslim candidates though none of them managed to win.

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